Share this

Democrats should propose making the payroll tax permanent and funding it either with the millionaire’s tax or eliminating the payroll tax limit for individuals. Republicans say they like flat taxes so make the payroll tax a flat tax and reduce the rate.

The Democratic brand of standing up for the middle class clearly has renewed value for swing voters. Democrats are winning on taxes by a growing margin, and that’s all a matter of simple fairness, and the Republican Ryan Budget is absolutely toxic for anyone who voted for it. Making seniors pay $6,000 a year more for Medicare while reducing the top marginal income tax rate to 28 percent has zero support among independent voters and even is rejected by a plurality of Republicans when presented with the entire budget proposal.

Clearly, this should be the Democratic campaign plan, combined with a commitment to cutting wasteful spending, making the government more efficient, and setting priorities rather than letting each special interest get their share.

More POLITICO Arena

About the Arena

The Arena is a cross-party, cross-discipline forum for intelligent and lively conversation about political and policy issues. Contributors have been selected by POLITICO staff and editors. David Mark, Arena's moderator, is a Senior Editor at POLITICO. Each morning, POLITICO sends a question based on that day's news to all contributors.